Residents Fret As Pond Fills With Dead Fish

In the last week, hundreds of carp, bluegill, bass, and catfish have gone belly up in a man-made lake behind the Whispering Cove condominiums.

Village officials believe the recent spate of intense heat warmed the water and wiped out the plant life, which lowered the oxygen level in the 7-foot-deep lake and killed the fish. Residents worry about runoff from local businesses and street re-surfacing.

Nathan Vanden Berg, 4, doesn't buy either answer.

"It's crocodiles and alligators," he said, staring sadly at a cluster of floating bluegills.

"He just got a fishing pole for his birthday, and he's upset he can't fish now," explained Nathan's grandmother, Lou Ann La Bash, who is also president of the 108-unit condominium association.

"Last week we woke up, came outside and saw hundreds of dead fish floating in our lake," La Bash said. "We had no clue what happened. We're talking 300 to 400 fish. The city came out and recovered the fish, and got an independent contractor to come out and test the water."

On Monday, several neighbors from the neat, two-bedroom, red-brick units looked out at the lake from the gazebo at the water's entrance. The lake is surrounded by lush cattails, evergreens, weeping willows, blue spruce and white pine trees.

"See that?" said resident Karen Jones, pointing to a foot-long, bright orange carp floating by, being nibbled by flies. "The school kids were just watching him swim around. We all have grandchildren who come to grandma and grandpa's to fish. Now we spend our time yelling at the neighbor's kids to stay away from the water."

Police officers alerted the residents last week to stay away from the water, said Clara Antonacci, who has lived in the condominium complex for five years.

"We want something done about this," said Antonacci, who with other neighbors planned to attend Tinley Park's village meeting Monday night to ask officials for help. "We don't know if it's low oxygen or some kind of contamination."

Another resident, Larry Bonaguro, noted that the lake is surrounded by various businesses and that it has two run-off pipes.

Initial water tests showed the water had an unusually low oxygen rate, said Charles Sears, the street superintendent for the village Department of Public Works. Further test results will take a week to 10 days, Sears said.

"All the high-degree heat days we had, it does something to the plants in the lake," Sears explained. "So the plants are trying to get the oxygen and the fish are trying to get it and the fish suffocate."

He added that residents might be right that recent road resurfacing may have sent asphalt or oil byproducts into the lake, but added that the experts he consulted said that only lasts a few days. He also said the lake appears to be on the rebound, because live fish could be seen jumping about.

"There are still fish and frogs in there," Sears said.

Until the mystery is solved, the village has put warning signs by the lake, alerting residents to "Keep Out Water Being Tested."